India’s New Immigration & Foreigners Act 2025: A Simple and Complete Guide for Foreigners and Indian Hosts
India’s immigration framework has entered a new chapter with the enactment of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, ( Act, 2025) a consolidated, modern law designed to make India’s borders safer, processes smoother, and compliance more predictable for genuine travellers. By replacing several outdated laws (including the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; and Foreigners Act, 1946), the new Act brings all key immigration functions under a single, transparent framework.
It streamlines the experience for tourists, students, expatriate employees and long-term residents, while clearly defining responsibilities for hotels, landlords, universities and employers. A major highlight is its digital transformation: centralised online portals, mandatory digital reporting, real-time arrival and departure data through tools like the Su Swagatam platform and e-arrival process, and improved coordination with FRROs under the Bureau of Immigration. Together, these upgrades make the system faster, more efficient, and easier to navigate for both foreigners and Indian institutions.
Summary
India Immigration System: Old vs New (2025)
| Old System | New System (2025) |
|---|---|
| Paper Forms - Manual completion of physical arrival and departure cards | e-Arrival Card - Digital submission before arrival with contactless clearance |
| Manual Checks - Person-dependent verification with limited system integration | Biometric Integration - Automated identity verification using facial recognition |
| Multiple Outdated Laws - Represented under various fragmented regulations | Integrated Digital Database - Centralised system connecting all immigration touchpoints |
| Online Portal - FRRO services were primarily handled through an online portal only | Integrated Mobile App - FRRO services are now available through both the online portal and the integrated mobile application. |
| Fragmented Reporting - Disconnected systems across ministries and departments | Unified Immigration Act, 2025 - Single comprehensive law replacing colonial-era statutes |
A New Digital and Centralised Immigration System
One of the most significant changes under the Act 2025 is the move to a technology driven, centralised immigration system. Replacing scattered databases and manual checks, India now uses a unified platform linking immigration counters, FRRO offices, carriers, and authorised institutions. It combines real time data from airlines, accommodation providers, universities, and hospitals, enabling faster verification, stronger security, and smoother processing. With biometrics, digital submissions, and automated alerts, authorities can track entries, exits, and compliance more accurately.
Mandatory Requirement of Valid Documents
The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 places strong emphasis on valid documentation and digital compliance, while keeping entry requirements familiar for foreign nationals. Passports and visas remain mandatory, but the way information is submitted, verified, and tracked has become far more structured and technology driven. The focus is on faster processing, better security, and clearer accountability for travellers and institutions alike.
What foreign nationals and institutions need to know
- Foreign nationals must now complete the e‑Arrival Card up to 72 hours before travel, which helps authorities assess risk in advance and speeds up checks at the airport.
- The Su Swagatam app brings together e-arrival filing, document uploads, and appointment booking, enabling near contactless processing
- Special pre‑validated screening lanes can cut immigration clearance time from around 30 minutes to under 30 seconds for eligible, pre‑screened travellers.
- Biometric capture, including fingerprints and facial recognition, creates a unified digital identity profile at arrival points or during FRRO registration
- Employment, business visa holders are expected to keep their records up to date. For eg. if there is a change of address, form C arrival and exit update or visa extension update.
How this differs from the earlier system
The old system had no e-arrival card, digital accommodation verification, or integrated biometric database. Now, mandatory online arrival and exit Form C updates and biometrics ensure standardised reporting nationwide. Fixed timelines and clear penalties create accountability for foreigners and institutions. This delivers time savings, no queues, and faster processing at immigration counters. Real-time compliance tracking and enhanced security through verifiable audit trails benefit everyone.
Updated Responsibilities for Foreigners in India
The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 streamlines entry and stay in India through mandatory e Arrival Cards and expanded use of the Su Swagatam app. Foreign nationals now have clearer compliance responsibilities. Where FRRO registration is required, it must be completed soon after arrival, and personal, address, employment or university details must be kept accurate and updated. Although processes are still in line with the earlier procedures, they made simpler, enforcement is stricter, and errors or omissions may result in delays, penalties, or cancellation of stay.
The Act also strengthens border security through enhanced digital screening, biometric verification, and real time data sharing from airlines, accommodation providers, and connected institutions. Automated checks reduce the risk of illegal or undocumented entry by validating each traveller through linked digital records.
The upgraded Fast Track Trusted Travellers Programme (FTI TTP) offers quicker clearance for genuine, pre verified travellers. Automated e gates, advance background checks, and pre cleared profiles significantly reduce wait times while maintaining strong identity verification, benefiting frequent travellers, business visitors, and eligible tourists.
The Su-Swagatam App
- Central digital platform for pre arrival and post arrival immigration formalities
- Mandatory e Arrival Card to be completed within 72 hours before travel
- Captures passport, visa, and travel details for faster airport clearance
- Enables access to e FRRO services, document uploads, and application tracking
- Delivers smoother processing, predictable timelines, and less paperwork
- Designed to serve both foreign travellers and host institutions
- Landlords could file the Form C with the help of application.
- Positioned as the primary hub for India’s immigration services going forward
- Location services such as universities, hospitals, cafes, museums, etc. within 5km of your location can be tracked.
Form C: Updated Rules for Accommodation Providers
Form C compliance is now significantly stricter for all accommodation providers like hotels, guesthouses, homestays, PGs, hostels, landlords, and service apartments. Hosts must submit Form C within 24 hours of a foreign national’s arrival. If the guest temporarily leaves for a domestic trip or returns to the same property, the keeper of accommodation must update Form C again with the revised stay details.
Earlier laws (especially the repealed Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 ) did not require mandatory exit reporting, and tracking depended mainly on manual arrival entries. The new regulations mandates that accommodation providers must file a Form C Exit Update when the foreigner checks out or departs India. This ensures complete end-to-end tracking of each foreigner’s entry, stay, movement, and exit within the Bureau of Immigration’s digital system something missing in earlier laws.
Failure to file Form C (arrival or exit), delays, incorrect entries, or non-submission now fall under Section 23 of the Act 2025, which states that any foreigner-related compliance violation is punishable with imprisonment up to 3 years, fine up to ₹3,00,000, or both.
FRRO Registration and Ongoing Stay Compliance
Under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, FRRO registration is now fully structured and largely digital for foreigners on long stay visas, including employment, student, research, intern, and medical categories. Registration must be completed within the prescribed timeframe, and profiles must be kept updated for any change in address, employer, course details, or travel plans. The Su Swagatam app enables online filing, appointment booking, document uploads, and real time status tracking, replacing the manual and region based processes under the earlier framework.
Most services such as registration, extensions, and profile updates are handled online, with physical visits required only for biometrics or original document verification. Foreigners must maintain digital copies of key documents, including passport, visa, Residential Permit, registration certificate, and address proof. To improve coverage and processing speed, new FRROs have been established in Jaipur, Guwahati, and Chandigarh, supported by upgraded international immigration checkposts with biometric capture, digital e arrival validation, and fast track processing.
Fragmented Laws Consolidated: Old vs New Immigration Act 2025
What Happens if You Don’t Comply? Penalties and Enforcement Under the Act 2025
The act is designed to encourage timely and accurate compliance. While the system is now simpler and more digital, failure to meet basic requirements can still lead to penalties.
What travellers and institutions should keep in mind
- Earlier laws imposed low and inconsistent fines; under the Act 2025, penalties can go up to ₹10 lakh depending on the seriousness of the lapse
- Clear penalty ranges now apply, replacing earlier discretionary decisions
- Overstaying or missing registration deadlines, earlier handled administratively, may now attract criminal penalties.
- Use of incorrect or forged documents carries stricter consequences, including minimum imprisonment terms
- Enforcement is now supported by digital records such as biometrics, e-arrival data, and Form C submissions, making errors easier to detect
- A uniform national framework ensures consistent treatment across states and predictable outcomes.
The focus of the 2025 Act is not restriction, but prevention of misuse, protection of genuine travellers, and smoother immigration outcomes through early compliance.
Conclusion - A Smarter, Safer Immigration Journey with the 2025 Act
India’s Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 speaks in a more secure, transparent, and digital immigration ecosystem way. One that simplifies processes for genuine travellers while ensuring clearer responsibilities for foreigners and Indian hosts. As the rules become more structured and technology driven, staying compliant is essential for a smooth stay in India.
At Expat Orbit, we help expats, global companies, and accommodation providers navigate these updated requirements with ease, whether it’s FRRO registrations, Form C filings, applying for visa and guidance, or ongoing compliance support. For personalised assistance, you can schedule a call with us or reach us at [email protected]. You can also download our detailed Visa and immigration Support Guidebook for a complete, practical overview of the new system.
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